Diablo 4 Season 9: The strongest builds, based on PTR meta

Diablo 4’s Public Test Realm (PTR) for Season 9 is over, bringing sweeping updates to classes, itemization, and gameplay mechanics ahead of the season launch. With the current changes available for testing in Patch 2.3.0, this guide provides a detailed look at how each class is shaping up in the upcoming season, including newly viable builds and gameplay enhancements.

These rankings are based on early PTR data and are subject to change. Always test your builds and stay flexible once Season 9 launches officially on July 1, 2025!

Also Read: Diablo 4 Season 8: The strongest builds, based on PTR meta

Tier list — best classes to play in Diablo 4 Season 9

Tier	Class	Overview
S	Sorcerer	Hydra builds surges to the top with huge buffs and new items.
S	Spiritborn	Quill Volley and Thorns builds dominate the early endgame.
A	Barbarian	Basic skill reworks and new uniques breathe new life.
B	Druid	Overpower nerfs hurt but Pulverize and Rabid Bear are solid.
B	Necromancer	Summoner build shines with new unique gloves; other builds hit by nerfs.
C	Rogue	Major cooldown and passive nerfs knock it down the list.

Overview of top classes and builds in Diablo 4 Season 9 PTR (Patch 2.3.0)

Diablo 4 Season 9 PTR has introduced sweeping nerfs, especially to powerful mechanics like Overpower, critical damage scaling, and implicit weapon stats. Tempering recipes now offer less power, and previously top-tier damage multipliers have been toned down.

Considering the current patch direction and in-game observations, this list ranks each class and highlights the most viable builds following the recent adjustments. Note that this ranking is based on PTR conditions and may shift by the time Season 9 officially launches.

1) Sorcerer

Elemental builds are being balanced out, with a few seeing nerfs and others stepping into the spotlight (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Sorcerers are seeing substantial reworks this season, with the Hydra skill receiving targeted improvements and several builds getting reshaped by unique item additions. Elemental builds are being balanced out, with a few seeing nerfs and others stepping into the spotlight.

Basic spells now hit harder thanks to the updated damage buffs. Hydra’s mana cost is lowered significantly, and its damage output is increased. Lightning Spear lost some of its burst strength due to multiple scaling reductions, allowing other builds to shine this season.

The Combustion cap (100%) introduces a notable limitation to its scaling potential, a major nerf that in ways balances the mechanic. Enlightenment now applies the highest additive bonus across all elements instead of them combined.

Recommended builds:

Hydra Sorc: Enhanced by new uniques, this build now scales rapidly with mana use and offers excellent long-form damage.
Ice Shards Sorc: Remains strong in the current meta, especially in high-tier Pit content.
Blizzard Sorc: Another frost build that is rising up in the meta, becoming a go-to build for a lot of players.
Lightning Spear Sorc: Still speedy and fun, though damage was toned down.
Chain Lightning Sorc: A flexible caster option with reliable output.

2) Spiritborn

Poison-oriented builds now benefit from a more universal damage multiplier (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

The newest class in Diablo 4 is already evolving. In the PTR, Spiritborn received impactful buffs to its poison and thorns-focused paths, unlocking powerful synergies through gear and aspects.

Poison-oriented builds now benefit from a more universal damage multiplier. In an attempt to balance the class, critical damage interaction is removed from Noxious Resonance, lowering burst potential. The Hunter's ultimate ability now builds uptime through kills and boss hits instead of cooldown resets. A new armor piece grants massive thorns value and free poison application, creating a potent thorns archetype.

Recommended builds:

Quill Volley Spiritborn: High-speed ranged pressure with strong survivability. Still clears high-end content with ease.
Thorns Spiritborn: Durable and reactive playstyle amplified by the new legendary pants.
Firestorm Evade Spiritborn: Great for rapid clears and solo progression.

3) Barbarian

Barbarians have shifted toward a more sustained-damage approach in Diablo 4 Season 9 (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Barbarians have shifted toward a more sustained-damage approach in Diablo 4 Season 9. Core skills have received power boosts, and a new pair of boots that encourages a Fury-maximized cleave playstyle.

Base-level attacks of Barbarians are stronger than they were in previous seasons. The new unique boots allow basic attacks to cleave and gain 100% multiplicative damage output damage at full Fury. Bash now has a chance to double-hit instead of having a chance to cleave. The Ugly Bastard helm now activates only during Wrath of the Berserker. Some paragon nodes now provide full bonuses without required conditions.

Recommended builds:

Flay Barbarian: Excels with DoT stacking and high-speed attacks; new gear helps boost DPS.
Double Swing Barbarian: Twister effects remain potent, helping this build stay relevant.
Lightning Strike Barbarian: New damage boost helps but remains mid-tier.
Earthquake Barbarian (Pet): Still strong despite a few paragon and item nerfs.

4) Druid

Druid builds benefit from small buffs to skills like Pulverize and Claw, along with an overhaul to Grizzly Rage (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Druid builds benefit from small buffs to skills like Pulverize and Claw, along with an overhaul to Grizzly Rage. However, nerfs to major items like the Malignant Ring diminish some of the class’ strongest metas.

Pulverize’s damage now scales better. Grizzly Rage maintains Unstoppable throughout its full uptime. Poison build scaling has shifted to generalized damage instead of crit multipliers. Key legendary items were nerfed, reducing high-end effectiveness.

Recommended builds:

Poison Bear Druid (Corrosive Vapor variant): Leverages new synergy between poison and DoTs for high-end push potential.
Companion Druid: Lost a lot of its single-target dominance.

The Druid class suffered heavily from the nerfing of the Overpower stat, making some builds unstable:

Shred Druid: Struggles after Overpower damage reduction.
Cataclysm Druid: Still functional but loses out on high-tier burst.

5) Necromancer

Necromancer's most powerful builds have been hit hard by changes to Overpower (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Necromancer's most powerful builds have been hit hard by changes to Overpower and the Soul Rift skill. However, a new minion-focused build has emerged, thanks to new unique gloves that enhance skeletal mage scaling.

Soul Rift damage is drastically reduced from 75% to 15%. Multiple passives and mechanics now include damage caps. The new gloves allow skeletal mages to gain meaningful utility and scaling, which is the highlight of this season. Shadowblight now reaches max bonus faster but has a firm cap of 300%.

Recommended builds:

Summon Mage Necromancer (The Hand of Naz varient): Uses the new gloves for powerful ranged minion scaling, especially when paired with Mendel’s Ring.
Blood Spear Necromancer: Still reliable in the long run, but lacks its previous edge in the long run.
Blood Surge Necromancer: Still maintains usefulness for clearing mobs in lower tiers, but not enough for high-tier content.

6) Rogue

Broad nerfs to core abilities and passive traits have undercut most of its effective endgame builds (Image via Blizzard Entertainment)

Rogue currently sits at the bottom of the PTR meta. Broad nerfs to core abilities and passive traits have undercut most of its effective endgame builds. At this point, none of the meta rogue builds perform well in the high-tier endgame.

Several key passives are now capped or limited in output, cutting down the potential of Rogue builds in Diablo 4. Death Trap delivers less consistent damage boosts than it did in Diablo 4 Season 8, which clearly focused on the Trap side of the Rogues. Healing from Flurry is no longer immediate. New helm reworks Flurry to use life as a scaling cost instead of energy, making it a difficult choice for players.

Recommended builds:

Flurry Rogue (Deathmask variant): Still viable due to synergy with new gear, though not dominant and requires life mitigation.
Rain of Arrows Rogue: Utility remains intact, but high-end performance has dipped.
Death Trap Rogue (Shadow variant): Less burst output and more cooldown reliant. One of the better meta builds of the season.

Diablo 4 Season 9 PTR is showing a bold direction for Blizzard to move towards — reducing overtuned scaling while encouraging creative new builds with buffs to base skills and exciting new unique items. Sorcerer and Spiritborn are the clear winners in the upcoming season, while Rogue falls behind due to tremendous nerfs. The rest of the roster still remains a viable option, but adapting to the new meta will be key.

Check out our other guides:

About the author

Jagaran is an MMO and ARPG writer at Sportskeeda. His involvement in the gaming industry also includes working as a concept artist and as a narrative designer.
At age of nine, Halo: Combat Evolved kicked off his love for the medium. He looks back fondly on the times he visited cyber cafes, watching the older boys playing the game and shouting, "Master Chief!"
If given a chance to inhabit a game world, he would eagerly jump into the breathtaking world of Halo.
He admires Ben "CohhCarnage" Cassell for his engaging dialogue and gameplay as well as his critical thinking regardless of how much he loves the game, which encouraged him to spend countless hours in games and technically analyze them.
In his free time, he enjoys writing books, cooking, sketching, and the occasional game of football.

Know More

Edited by Abu Amjad Khan